The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus and a replacement time management program that can predict a replacement time of a cartridge storing a color material such as toner or ink.
In a typical image forming apparatus, it is general that an image formation such as printing is performed by consuming a color material such as toner or ink in a cartridge that is a consumption article, a replacement cartridge is ordered before the color material is completely consumed, and at a replacement time when the color material is completely consumed, the cartridge is replaced with the replacement cartridge.
The replacement cartridge is ordered automatically or upon receiving an ordering request from the user when, for example, the amount of color material becomes equal to or less than a predetermined amount. Here, the cartridge can be efficiently replaced if the replacement cartridge is ordered so that it is delivered on the replacement time of the cartridge. As a result, for the efficient replacement of the cartridge, it is important to predict, when the replacement cartridge is ordered, the replacement time of the cartridge.
As a related art, there is known a technology that enables a replacement time of a toner cartridge to come at a replacement date specified by the user.
In the related art, a toner consumption trend such as an average toner consumption amount per day is adjusted by changing the toner consumption restriction rate such that the toner is completely consumed on the replacement date.
With the above-described configuration, a replacement time of a toner cartridge comes at a replacement date specified by the user. This makes it possible to predict the replacement time of the toner cartridge.
According to the related art, however, the toner consumption restriction rate is changed only when the remaining amount of toner has become equal to or less than a predetermined amount. As a result, although it is possible to predict a replacement time of a toner cartridge when the replacement toner cartridge is ordered, it is impossible to respond to a variation of the toner consumption trend that occurs after the ordering.
For example, if the toner consumption amount increases after the ordering of the replacement toner cartridge, the toner may be completely consumed before the specified replacement date, namely, the predicted replacement time of the toner cartridge.
Conversely, if the toner consumption amount decreases after the ordering of the replacement toner cartridge, the toner consumption restriction rate that was set at the time of ordering is applied, and the toner consumption is unnecessarily restricted although the toner may be used until the specified date even if the toner consumption restriction rate is changed to zero (even if the toner consumption is not restricted). Such a phenomenon occurs when a consumption article is replaced with a replacement article in a typical image forming apparatus.